SALISBURY – Wicomico County is looking to have the expansion of Henry Parker Athletic Complex (HPAC) completed by 2017 to host additional sporting events that will significantly boost economic impact.
“We are here to begin the process to accept a generous land donation by the City of Salisbury to Wicomico County to expand the HPAC,” Wicomico Recreation, Parks and Tourism Director Gary Mackes said.
According to Mackes, Wicomico’s tourism book now consists of 35 amateur sports events that have generated $43.1 million in economic activity. This is composed of 30,000 hotel room nights and close to 200,000 visitors. Compared to the previous year, Wicomico’s tourism initiative has grown by 10 percent.
“A regionally recognized outdoor sports complex is critical to keeping our strategic plan on its growth trajectory,” Mackes said.
Mackes furthered, currently Wicomico County utilizes HPAC as the hub for 15 regional events held in the county. Some events are so large that they exceed the county’s field and lodging capacity. In fact, the summer World Series event uses 21 fields and lodging demand has grown 50 percent in Ocean City.
With Fiscal Year 2014 ending on June 30, the total economic activity generated by these events was marked at $26.2 million with a direct economic impact of $16.4 million in direct spending of lodging, food, retail, transportation and entertainment. The indirect economic activity is an additional $9.8 million annually. Indirect impact is spending derived by those who benefited from direct spending, such as employee compensation, goods, supplies and services.
“We are now at a point where we have developed a regional brand for hosting amateur sport tournament events. Region can be described as an eight-hour drive. This consists of 13 states which make up 25 percent of the U.S. market,” Mackes said. “The county’s brand has captured the interest of the State of Maryland, which has supported expansion of the HPAC and has placed our assets in the MSA’s Office of Sports Marketing to sell to event organizers.”
This brand has also mobilized a partnership with Ocean City and Worcester County to form the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Sports Alliance to leverage all assets, such as facilities and accommodations to event organizers. The Counties are the first in the nation to put together a sports alliance.
An expanded HPAC will retain the county’s currently booked 15 events that come to $26.2 million in economic impact as well as provide the ability to obtain and develop new events, and county staff is receiving a favorable reaction from event organizers after viewing the HPAC expansion plans.
Staff has the confidence with an expanded complex that is estimated to be completed in 2017 it will bring at least 10 additional events, and increase in economic activity from $26.2 million to $32.2 million with an annual growth of 25 percent.
By 2020, the county will benefit from additional growth of 15 percent, or $5 million, to an accumulative total of $11 million, or 40 percent when compared to the present.
Currently, the HPAC has four softball fields with three lighted, one lighted baseball field, four lighted soccer fields, two full service concession stands with restroom facilities, a shaded playground area, plenty of spectator seating and free parking for 720 vehicles.
The expansion will add four baseball/softball fields with two being lighted and four more soccer fields as well as increase parking capacity.
“Sports organizers want to have a hub with what we call ‘fields of eight’; eight soccer, eight baseball or eight softball, and they want fields of eight to host the majority of sports events,” Mackes said.
Brock Parker of Parker and Associates, which designed the expansion, reviewed the environmental impacts involved with the expansion that included existing bike trails in the area, forest conservation, stormwater management and sediment control, protecting the paleochannel and regulatory compliance. All items are on the radar as the plans for the expansion move forward.
So far $3.7 million has been dedicated to the expansion between county and state funding. The county has budgeted $1.5 million in the current Capital Improvement Plan with $450,000 coming from tourism surplus. The state has already committed $1 million with an $850,000 grant in the works, leaving $350,000 more to complete the funding.
The County Council was in consensus to move the matter to a public hearing to be held on Oct. 7 during the council’s regularly scheduled meeting starting at 6 p.m.
The HPAC is located on Naylor Mill Dr. in Salisbury and is Wicomico County’s premier outdoor sports facility. Encompassed by shade trees and marked by expertly maintained fields, the complex was recognized as the 1987 Most Beautiful and Functional Park and the 2004 National Softball Association’s Outstanding Park.
Currently, the fields are equipped with high quality drainage and irrigation systems and are maintained by a full time maintenance team. These features make the complex ideal for hosting major tournaments.